What if it Happened Differently...?
by MuShRoOm
Summary: Chapter *3* Up As Of 5/2/02 Please Review If You Want More Chapters Added On
1. Malfoy Gone Gryffindor

Harry was in panic, he didn't know how to get on the train to Hogwarts! At that moment three people passed behind him and he caught a few words they were saying.

"-packed with Muggles, of course-"

Harry swung around. The speaker was a tall boy, talking to two what looked like twins and the oldest brother. Each with had flaming red hair. ::gee, wonder who these peeps are?:: All there with trunks, just like Harry- and they had an owl. Just then a little girl and her mother came and asked the boys something.

"Now what is that platform number?" she said.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped the small girl. "Mum, can't I go."

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quite. All right, Percy you go first. Then you two." She said nodding to the twins. Harry stared on minute he was there the next not. It was the same with the twins.

"Excuse me," Harry said to the red headed woman.

"Hello, dear," she said. "First year at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."

She pointed to the tall boy. "Now, don't worry. You and Ron can go on the train together. First you run or walk towards the middle of the platforms. Now, don't be scared just walk straight on!" she directed. 

Harry and Ron walked on through together. When they got in a short boy with white blonde hair and gray eyes, accidentally brushed past Ron. He turned around to say something, but Ron cut him off.

"God, at least say sorry!" he said furiously, obviously having a grudge with this kid.

"I was about to, if you hadn't cut me off!" he said calmly. "Now I'm sorry, good-bye."

"You think you can get away with anything don't you?" Ron asked him disgusted.

"Not _another_ one!" Harry hear as the kid stopped dead in his tracks and retreated, "Are you mad at my father?"

"I asked you first!!" Ron said, his face getting red with anger.

"No. I can't get away with anything, I always get caught. Now you answer my question." The blonde kid said.

"Yes, he got my dad in trouble." He yelled at the kid.

"So it's Lucius you're angry at." He said keeping his cool.

"Yes" Ron said not seeing the point.

"Then stop yelling at me. We are two different people, I didn't get your dad in trouble, Lucius did. So leave me alone!" the kid said before he left.

"Who was that?" Harry asked once they were on the train compartment. 

"Draco Malfoy." Ron said still steamed. "I'd bet anything he's in Slytheirn. His whole family has been in Slytheirn. His father got my dad in trouble with the Ministry." 

~ At the Sorting ~

The list seemed to go on before reaching the M's. Ron and Harry made a bet, for fun. If Malfoy got into Slytheirn Ron won but, if he got in any other house Harry won. Harry wasn't sure what house he'd be in, they hadn't meet since when they were outside the train. 

"Malfoy, Draco" McGonagall called.

He stepped out, looking more relaxed than anyone in the first year. He sat down and put on the hat. It took about five minutes, he and the hat were arguing with each other. Finally the hat said, "GRYFFINDOR!" 

Everyone in the Great Hall gasped, all except Dumbledore who smiled, like it was a good surprise. Draco walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down at the very far end. The rest of the ceremony went on normally. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter were all in Gryffindor.

"Are you disappointed you weren't in Slytheirn like all your little friends?" one of the twins asked Draco.

"No." Draco said. "But, all of you seem to be by the way you all bitch about it." Everyone seemed at little taken aback by his language. "I don't get why you bother to ask such a stupid, pointless, irrelevant, ass holed, question."

"You shouldn't say that!" Hermione Granger snapped at him.

"Why?" Draco asked her.

"Well, be-because there must be a rule against inappropriate language." She said matter-of-factly. 

"Do I look like I really give a damn?" 

"You should! Rules are around for the better!" he started to laugh at her.

"I don't see how this is funny! As a prefect.." one of the twins finished his sentence for him, 

"It is your duty to bore us to death!" no one noticed Draco slip out to the library and no one saw him come back at the end of the feast, except Dumbledore. 

"Now I would like to say good night to all of you and pleasant dreams!" Dumbledore said smiling. 

Percy led the them all to the common room and directed them to their dormitories. Draco was at the end by the window, next to Harry, to his right was Ron, then Dean, Seamus, and Neville was by the door. 

Draco woke up first and went to the library. When the rest woke up the only sign that he was ever there was a trunk and a neatly made bed. They all wondered where he went.

"Where did Malfoy go?" Dean asked looking at Draco's oddly made bed.

"Do you think he woke up already?" Seamus commented.

"Good riddance, I say! Who cares, he's an ass that should have been in Slytheirn!" Ron exclaimed. 

"I'm with Ron." Neville agreed.

"We'll see him at breakfast." Harry said walking down to the common room. They all followed.

When they got down he wasn't there. Nor were Dumbledore or Snape. 

~ Down in the Dungeons~

"So tell me, Severus, what is Lucius like?"

"It's his way or the highway with him." Snape told him while mixing a purple liquid.

"Do you think he will be upset that Draco wasn't in Slytheirn?" 

"Albus, he'll be exploding with anger. I'd hate to be around Lucius when finds out!"

~Back to the Great Hall ~

"The first class is Potions with Slytheirn! Gag!" Dean said.

The bell rang and they all ran to get to all of their different classes. Snape started to call role. Five minutes later Draco came running in. 

"Mr. Malfoy, you are late." Snape said sharply.

"Uhh, sorry." Draco said.

"Since this is your first day you are excused but, no more." 

"Yes sir." He said slipping into the set to the left of Harry. The Snape turned to Harry and said, "Mr. Potter, if I added mugwort and wormwood what would I get?" he asked, eyes glinting.

__

"A sleeping potion. A very powerful sleeping potion!" someone whispered in his ear.

"A very powerful sleeping potion." Harry spit out. Snape's mouth became a thin line.

"Where would I find a bezoar, Mr. Potter?"

__

"In a goat's stomach, it's a rock." The same voice said in his ear.

" A goat's stomach, it's a rock." Harry said unsure. Snape sneered.

"Fine, Mr. Potter what is the difference of monkshood and wolfsbane?"

__

"They're the same thing!" It was Draco! Draco had been giving him the answers.

"They are the same thing." He said to the professor. 

"Looks like we've found the know-it-all of this class!" Pansy said loudly.

"Shove it up yours, Pansy!" Draco said even louder than her.

"What did you just say to me?" Pansy's eyes became slits.

"I told you to shove it up yours! If you weren't a girl I hit you so hard you'd have a mark on your face for a week. It'd make that poor excuse of your hideous face uglier then it is now, and that is quite a task!" Draco said just as loud as before.

"Oh, yeah!" one of the boy Slytheirn yelled.

"Yeah, pig face!" Dean yelled back at him. The kid's face really looked like a pigs', so the name was quite fitting! 

Before anyone knew it they were all fist fighting. Pandemonium, fist flying one way hitting someone, anyone they could get to that was in the other house. Draco managed to get out of the mangled bodies, pulled out his wand, and yell over Professor Snape who was telling them to stop, "LAVIUMO!" all the kids were frozen, some in mind hit. Slowly, but surely, they all levitated away from each other towards the wall. It was then they all saw Professor Dumbledore standing in the middle of the steps, he had seen everything.

"What on Earth is going on here?" he asked.

Snape was speechless. "Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Parkson, and Mr. Johnson (the pig face), please fallow me." He said walking up the stairs. The six first years came in complete silence, until they came to his office.

"Damn..." Draco said, it was huge!

"Mr. Malfoy, I ask that you reframe from cussing in my presence or at all if manageable." Dumbledore knew from what Severus had told him that Lucius cussed much of the time, so it was no surprise his son did as well. "I would like to discus what happened in Potions. Who would like to go first?"

Pansy and piggy did. They made up this ludicrous piece of crap! It went like this: They were all working peacefully and out of the blue Draco started to yell insults and threatening them. Draco started to laugh and then stopped all of a sudden and looked at their faces, the said, "Oh, they weren't joking were they? My mistake, it was just such a lie it was funny!"

"What is your side of it Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked him, curious to hear the truth.

"Okay. This is what happened: The Professor asked Potter three questions and Potter answered correctly."

"Get to the point!!" Pansy snapped at him.

"Pansy, you're pushing it. Now before I was so RUDELY intervened upon I was gonna say, Pansy made a snide remake. She said "Now we know who the know-it-all is." So I said, "Shove it up yours Pansy." And so on and so forth and well you saw the rest."

"Yes, I did. Now normally I would do a lot more then this but, I'll only take 50 points from each house. No detentions will be given. You are dismissed." They walked out giving each other venomous looks.

"I hope you three are pleased with yourselves!" Hermione said hotly. 

"About what?" Ron asked her.

"We could have all gotten in a lot more trouble, and Draco, I'm surprised he didn't take more points off for your outrageous mouth! We could have gotten suspended or worse-expelled!"

"Oh please, we wouldn't have gotten expelled or even suspended." Harry was amazed at her over exasperation. 

"We could have gotten in school suspension. We wouldn't even have gotten in trouble if it hadn't been for Pansy's unnaturally big mouth!" Draco said in distaste of Pansy. 

"You're a pathetic excuse for a Malfoy, a waste of good blood." Pansy sneered at him. "You're not in Slytheirn or even Ravenclaw, you're a Gryffindor!"

"Well, since you're a Black Widow, Pansy, you can drink my blood. I sure as hell don't God damn want it!" Draco told her with a sense that he really didn't want his blood, or even to live.

"Language Mr. Malfoy!" they heard Dumbledore yell at Draco. 

Draco looked like 'Will he just shut up?!' The rest of the day went normal, in other words no fist fights. All the Gryffindors were disappointed about the 50-point loss, but on the upper hand, Draco earned a little respect from the first year Gryffindors. Well, most of the Gryffindors, Ron still hated Draco, and some of the others were very hesitant.

"Look, Harry, no matter what he dose or what he says he'll still be a Malfoy," everyone had retired to the common room after classes. "and Malfoys are not welcome with me and many others. I don't get how ANYONE can forget what his parents and ancestors did." Ron tried to explain to Harry.

"So are you saying it's his fault his family is screwed up?" Harry said as he sat in one of the soft chairs.

"No, it's just the apple never falls far from the tree." 

Neither of them knew that the sound from the common room would drift up to Draco in their dorms. Nor did they know that he wouldn't speak to Ron for three weeks after hearing those remarks.

When it was dinnertime things got worse. Draco didn't show up, everyone was begging to talk about him. Stuff like, **"He lost us fifty points in one blow!**" and **"What did the hat think it was doing putting a slimy Malfoy in OUR house!**"** "He should go disgrace Slytheirn!"** They all seemed to forget he really didn't start the fight, he was just standing up for Harry. No one cared, maybe Ron was right and no one cared what he ever did or said, maybe people here only cared about who your parents were. 

A few of the first years stuck up for Draco and said he was the one that did a temporary separating charm on them. Or that he was just helping Harry defied himself. Even Hermione tried to help Draco's case, but no one listened. They just said, "Well then why isn't he here, is he scared?"

That all stopped, everything stopped when Draco entered the Great Hall and sat down (much to Ron's dismay) next to Ron.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Lee Jordan said.

"Did I miss something here?" Draco asked Harry.

"Oh nothing, just everyone that's not in the first year hates you." Hermione said.

"Well, I knew that. Anything else?" He said looking at bit tired.

"Not that we know of." Dean said to him.

"Oh, okay, um, you can all stop staring at me now. I don't think I grew an extra head." Draco did a mocking wave to Pansy who was staring at him. Everyone went back to eating. 

"So what really happened?" Draco asked Harry once more.

"Well, uh, ya see it's, uh..." Harry wanted to tell Draco the truth but, didn't want to hurt him.

"Come on, I wanna know what people were saying about me." He could see right through Harry.

"Well, okay, they said that you should be in Slytheirn, and you blew fifty points, and you're disgraceful."

Draco shrugged, "Oh, well!" Most of the kids gave him a look. _Oh well? That's all, oh well? Is he mad_? That's what they were all thinking.

"What? It's no big deal, I knew people would say that when I agreed to be in this house. I knew, you knew, the world knew, and I don't give a f*cking damn! I really don't care, so if you're doing this to get a reaction from me you might as well stop." And he didn't and never would give anyone a reaction. The way he saw it was, this was the house he was meant to be in and this was the house he was in. Like it or not.

Gryffindors started to accept Draco more and more as live at Hogwarts went on. Although there were still some people that were a little backed away. Ron was trying to be nice but, Draco wouldn't talk to him. 

He'd get an owl each week, not open it and burn it. Harry always asked him what was in it and Draco'd always say it was nothing.

It was about the beginning of November, and what surprised everyone was not that people in Griffendor were excepting Draco but, that it took awhile for him to except them. Especially Ron, since Draco had heard what Ron said about him, Draco hadn't really warmed up to him, at all. Not that Draco really warmed up to anyone, after awhile he'd just get use to you and you'd hang out a lot. 

With most people this happened when he'd help you with homework, but with others it happened with something else. Like, with the Weasley twins, Fred and Gorge, he showed them how to play a few different pranks, and how not get caught. With Hermione it was going to the library and just reading. But, no matter the reason by the end of September he was friends with everyone in his house, but Ron. Ron being set in his ways and Draco still angry from what Ron had said about him.

Ron didn't know the truth about Draco's life until one afternoon when Dumbledore had called him and Harry to his office.

"I don't think we did anything, I mean, I don't remember doing anything." Ron was saying as the two made their way to the Professor's office.

"Well, he might just want to talk 'bout something." Harry suggested. 

"Like what? 'Did you see that horrid picture of so and so in the Daily Profit Harry?'" Ron said putting on a stupid voice.

As they reached the room the doors opened for them to come in.

"How dose he know when we're coming?" Ron asked with a note of curiosity in his voice. 

"Go figure." 

"Welcome!" Dumbledore's voice came in over theirs. "Please do come in and have a seat."

"I would like to say, I didn't do it!" Ron declared. 

"Do what?" Dumbledore asked him, they were obviously NOT in trouble.

"Um nothing!" Ron said a little too fast.

"Yes, well to get to the point, I'm just a bit concerned about Draco Malfoy. Do either of you know how he is doing?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's doing fine. Why?" Harry answered him.

"Well, surely as you've heard, his family isn't the most, ah how shall I put this?" he paused for a moment, deciding his words carefully. "Oh, yes, responsible. They have a tendency to start something, drop it, and then want it to work out after that. Draco not only shows no care for his parents but, calls them by their first name, which disturbs me. They show even less care for him." Dumbledore's eyes were heavy with sadness.

"Yeah, well he's fitting in fine and making lots of friends.." Ron's voice trailed off, sounding a bit guilty. 

"Well, that is quite a relief to me. You may go, and Ron don't pull too many more pranks!" his eyes had a twinkle inside of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next week Harry saw Draco get the letter and the package, looking worse yet. He saw him looking over the package in his hand, looking almost like he wanted to open it. Instead Draco threw it into the fire.

"For your own good," Harry went up to him. "please tell me what is in the package, and why you look so horrid!"

"Every heard of withdrawal?"

"What?" he twisted his face in confusion at his friend's odd question.

"Withdrawal. It's what people get after quitting a drug they were addicted to, when you really want some kind of drug. You want it _dramatically_ bad. So, instead of the drug or whatever you chew gum, smoke, or do something excessively." Harry couldn't tell where Draco was going.

"So, are-were you on drugs?" Harry quickly replaced are with were as to not insult him.

"I think..." Draco looked at him curiously.

"You think? Either you were or you weren't! There is no I _think_ I took drugs and have withdrawal.'"

"Every since I was little Lucius has been giving me this damn potion thing. I don't know what the Hell it is or does," that was a lie, but he couldn't tell Harry and ruin it all. "then when I was about seven I wouldn't take it. So, he'd make me, usually slip it into my food. Now that I'm at school he can't do that, so I don't take it. An effect of that is I am know suffering withdrawal."

"Is that why you looked depressed last week?"

"That's only part of it. The other part, well- I really don't think I want to tell you." Draco shrugged and started down for dinner.

"What do you do excessively?" Harry ran to catch up.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you said people with withdrawal do something excessively. What do you do?"

"I guess I bite my nails or chew gum. Mainly I try to keep my mind off it." Draco explained before Ron joined them.

They walked in silence all the way to the Great Hall. When the three arrived everything was perfectly normal. Everyone was talking and having a good time. Dumbledore went to the front of the Great Hall and the room silenced.

"I have just received some very bad news." Harry and Ron glanced at each other. "Death Eaters have started to attack again. We know because they use the Dark Mark afterwards. I need anyone with any information at all to report it to me, immediately." Dumbledore and Draco locked eyes for a moment. "We have a new curfew, by nine o'clock you need to be in your common room. That is all." the moment he stepped down everyone started to speak.

"What are Death Eaters and what's the Dark Mark?" Harry was unfamiliar with the terms.

"Death Eaters were what the Dark Lord's supporters call themselves." Hermione informed him and anyone else who didn't know who they were. "The Dark Mark is a signal in the air of a skull with a snake through the mouth. They also use- do use above wherever they attack. They also make a tattoo of it on the arm of a Death Eater."

"More importantly, it's what they use when they kill..." Draco's voice trailed off, his face looked dazed. "I'm not hungry anymore-I've got to go!" he got up abruptly and left.

"Wonder what's wrong with him?" Ron took a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Don't know." Harry looked at Hermione. "You know?"

"I think I might! Excuse me!" Hermione quickly dashed out of the Great Hall.

"Huh. Wonder where they went." Ron sighed. "Oh well, I'm hungry. We can find out later."

"Okay." Harry and everyone else went back to eating.

The next week dragged by. With the newly enforced curfew there were less things to do at night, making everyone restless. The Weasley twins were playing more pranks than ever; Percy was being even more obsessed with rules; Lavender had gone from showering once a day to three times; Hermione had read Hogwarts a History' so many times she was reciting it in her sleep; and Oliver was starting to patronize over Qudditch plays. No one was normal in Hogwarts.They were all on edge.

Hermione and Draco had been acting strangely.They were more often than not in some deep conversation. She always seemed fascinated, while Draco looked weary but impressed with Hermione's obvious enthusiasm. Whenever anyone got close they both stopped talking about whatever they had been discussing and started a conversation on something else. And the packages kept coming and getting thrown into the fire.

Things continued on their way until December. People got use to the curfew and started to act normally, except Draco who only got worse each passing week. Apparently he wasn't too thrilled about going home for winter break. Although, he didn't hesitate about throwing out those packages anymore, which Harry took as a good sign. The day everyone who was going home was to leave Draco had his last conversation with Hermione for two weeks, at least in person.

"Would you do me a favor?" Draco asked her, cautiously.

"Yeah, sure. What?" Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly in curiosity.

"Would you send me food over the break?"

"Of course, and I know the perfect spell to disguise it so Lucius doesn't know it's anything suspicious!" she sounded pleased with herself.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"With this one spell I found in this odd book in the library. I only remember how to do it and what it does. The spell makes it so I chose who I want to be able to see the food and the actual letter, you, and to everyone else it just looks and feels like a letter about homework!" she now glowed with pride.

"Really? That's fascinating!" Draco tried to sound as sincere as possible, and pulled it off. "Thank you very much, Hermione. I'll see you in... two weeks. Blah! Tell Harry I say good-bye. Thank you!" Draco made his way, reluctantly, onto the Hogwarts' Express.

~ At Malfoy Manor ~

"Did you just do that to make a mockery of me, boy?" Lucius screamed the moment Draco walked in the door.

"Do what?" he asked as innocently as he could, knowing it would infuriated his father.

"GRYFFINDOR! Of all the mo**er f*cking houses, you got into GRYFFINDOR! God damn it boy, what the hell were you thinking?"

"It wasn't my fault, the sorting hat made me do it. Besides, if I wanted to make a mockery of you I'd just snap some pictures of you drunk and then spread them around the Ministry of Magic. That would be making a mockery of you, I just went against your wishes and beliefs." a hand reached out and slapped Draco across the face, making him laugh our loud.

"And you haven't been taking your potions!" Lucius continued to yell for the next hour.

Draco spent three days in his room, living off the food Hermione sent and doing homework. On his first Saturday home his mother came into his room and told him about a dinner Lucius would be hosting that night at eight o'clock. When Draco asked why she was telling him this she explained that he was expect to attend, and to eat dinner with the family and the guests. And that he should wear his best dress robes. Draco knew immediately that his father had put that stupid potion in his food, so he decided right then he'd just throw up afterwards and then eat some of Hermione's food.

When seven fifty finally rolled around Draco was totally ready for the dinner party. There was one thing he wasn't ready for though, and that was the company of Pansy and her family.

~ Back at Hogwarts ~

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and the twins were the only ones in Gryffindor staying at Hogwarts that holiday. Hermione had told Ron and Harry most of why he was spending Draco food, about the potion and all. But she didn't explain what the potion did, that would make Draco uncomfortable. Why, she had no idea. It wasn't like he was a vampire or anything totally strange. Although it would be weird, and people can be cruel. Just about everyone outside of Gryffindor didn't trust Draco, so one rumor would ruin him.

As she looked out the window she wondered how Draco was doing. It was almost eight and Hermione knew she should be getting down to dinner. So she put the spell on her parcel to Draco and sent Harry's owl Hedwig on her way. Once in the common room Hermione thanked Harry once again for letting her use his owl.

"Sure Hermi, Hedwig needs the exercise. How's operation Draco going?" the trio started down to the Great Hall.

"Pretty good."

"I just hope Draco's doing all right." Ron added in, surprising both Harry and Hermione.

"Why, Ron, that's the nicest thing you've said about him all year!" Hermione beamed. "See, Draco's not a bad person, his parents, yes, but he isn't! I'm very proud to call you my friend!" she hugged him as tightly as she could until Ron couldn't breath.

"You guys are just overreacting."

For the trio the rest of the night was filled with laughter and fun, they almost forgot that Draco was in such a tight spot. Unfortunately, they had no idea what a pickle Draco was really in


	2. Dinner Parties Suck

~ At Malfoy Manor ~

Draco slowly walked down the stairs, trying to take his time. He knew it would be at least ten when the guests would leave. That was if he was extremely lucky, and if he was lucky he only had to spend so much time with his family and his family's friends and then he'd be off the hook for the rest of the vacation home. If he wasn't lucky he'd have to go through many more of these dreadful dinner parties.

"So," Draco saw Narcissa standing near the oversized dinning room. "Who will be gracing us with their presences tonight? The Goyles and the Crabbes? Or the Bulstrodes?"

"All of them and the Parkinsons!" his mother told him happily.

"Son of a bitch..." Draco muttered to himself before wandering off to one of the many libraries until he heard the doorbell and knew it was time for dinner.

Draco basically spent dinner glaring at Lucius, Pansy, Vincent, Gregory, and Millicent. Deeply hating each one of them. He also tried to eat as little as possible, but when he did he tasted the familiar bitterness of the potion his father had slipped in his food. He sent a scowl to Lucius Malfoy, who saw and glared back. Amazingly, it took all the way until after dinner for all hell to break loose.

Draco had just excused himself for a few moments, saying he forgot to close an ink bottle in his room and should go close it before all the ink dried. Really he was going to the bathroom in connected to his bedroom so he could throw up what little of dinner he had actually eaten. It didn't take long for Draco to taste the salty vomit rise into his throat and see it go into the toilet. After which he brushed his teeth and went straight downstairs, where Pansy and Millicent were entertaining the adults with stories from Hogwarts. In the background Vincent and Gregory were nodding their heads in unison like the mindless drones they were.

As his father's noticeable anger grew with each story, Draco's boredom grew even more. Having lived the insults and the fights they were of absolutely no interest to him. However, he had not written home and told his father about any of them, so naturally he was definitely interested. So, he picked up a nearby book and began to read.

By ten o'clock all of the guests had left and Lucius Malfoy was about to pop a blood vessel if he didn't calm down soon. He kept going on and on about family honor and how Draco was such a disgrace, that he never had seen or heard of such an atrocious Malfoy in all of their family history. Not even an hour later Lucius had already broken out some of his favorite alcohol and was starting to talk in slurs, while Draco just rolled his eyes and sighed.

Then he picked Draco up by the collar and threw him onto the brick wall at the other end of the room. But Draco wasn't some passive little boy about to get beaten up without a good fight. And that's just what he gave. Sure, Draco ended up with welts, cuts, and bruises on his back, and a few welts on his legs, but Lucius ended up with about one broken rib and two cracked, an almost broken shin, plus many nasty bruises on his back from Draco kicking him in the wall. As far as Draco saw he didn't do half bad.

The rest of Draco's holiday went off without a hitch. He and Lucius didn't talk to each other for the rest of the time period. Lucius was angry for having an eleven year old show him up, and Draco just didn't want to talk to him. Draco decided to not mention his little incidence with Lucius to his friends, he didn't want them to get all worked up over it. As far as he was concerned, it was just one stupid fight. Not a world war, and that's what all his friends would make it out to be.

By the time winter break was over all of the small cuts and not so bad bruises were gone, all that were left were the worst of the welts. And they barely hurt anymore, and as far as Draco was concerned, that was that. The day he was to go back to Hogwarts he saw hide nor hair of his father, which was a blessing. So he left without so much as a good-bye to anyone.

While on the train Draco didn't talk to anyone, he just sat in his own compartment and read. Even though many fellow Gryffindors came to goof off or talk with him, he just told them he needed to be alone for a while and they left. He fell asleep not ten minutes after the Hogwarts Express left and was awaken with a harsh jolt when the train ride came to a halt. When everyone got off the train Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all waiting for Draco.

"I fell asleep! Can you believe it? I've never been able to fall asleep on a train before!" he smiled and then continued to talk. "That was the most boring two weeks of my life, I'm staying here next winter. How did it go here?"

"It was... okay, you know. Nothing special." Hermione said, trying to make Draco feel better about not being there.

"And that translates to, we had a great time and we don't want you to feel left out. Right?"

"Sort of," Harry told his friend almost guiltily.

"It's okay, why should I be upset that you guys had fun just because I didn't?" he grinned and started towards the school.

No one asked Draco much about his holiday, first of all because they all knew it probably sucked, second because everyone was so happy to be back at school they just didn't ask. Draco didn't even feel ignored, he felt relieved, it was like winter break had never happened. At dinner everything was going fine, until the Slytheirns came over to their table.

"So, Malfoy, I hope we didn't get you into too much trouble with your father." Pansy said, almost sounding earnest, almost.

"No, not at all. In fact, we had a wonderful little chat, where we both agreed you should shove it up your ass. And I know you four wanted to get me into trouble, but you really didn't, so better luck next time. Bye now!" when Draco looked back a few moments later they had left. "Wow I hate them,"

"What'd they mean?" Hermione titled her head slightly.

"Oh, Lucius decided to have a little dinner thing and they all came with their parents and _tried_ to get me into trouble. Harry, any idea who gave you the Invisibility Cloak?"

"I really don't know, it could have been Hagrid..." Draco had expertly been able to direct the conversation away from him for the rest of the night.

The very next morning Ron seemed oddly quite, but no one thought anything of it. They ate breakfast and went to Potions with the Slytheirns, as usual. Snape had partnered them off into pairs. Hermione was with Crabbe, Harry with Parkinson, Ron was with Draco, and so on. Mainly Slytheirn with Gryffindor, in fact, Draco and Ron were the only two working with someone in their own house.

"So... we're making a truth potion... Professor Snape, don't you think that's a little advanced for a first year class?" Hermione asked while everyone else got started.

"Miss Granger, I'll have you know I am a bit more experienced with potions than you and know more about what first years can and can't do, and that if you poor excuses want to pass your potions class you better get going," she made a little squeak of fear and went straight to work.

Ron and Draco didn't talk much, they had to work so close together before and it made them both uncomfortable. Draco often found Ron giving him this sad look before turning back to their potion. At the end of class when everyone left Draco took his usual slow pace and Ron hung back. They walked together through the hallway without saying anything for a few moments. Then Ron, very nervously, started to ask him a question, but he mumbled so much Draco couldn't understand a word he said.

"What did you just say? I didn't get a word of it you were muttering so much,"

"Never mind, I have to go talk to Harry,"

"Okay..." Ron went ahead to where Harry was and Draco just kept walking at his usual pace. He would have a chance to figure out what Ron was trying to say when he was in Charms, he had a seat right next to Harry.

In Charms, however, Harry was very silent and Draco couldn't get a full answer out of him. It didn't help that Hermione kept interrupting him in the middle of a sentence, also seeming very tense. Draco gave up until lunch, when he sat down with them at the deserted end of the table.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you three?" Draco was now getting really angry.

"Nothing..." Ron said quietly.

"Yeah, right, and I'm the god damn Easter Bunny! What the hell is up with all of you? Why are you so quiet?"

"Fine..." Hermione looked down at the table before continuing. "Last night, Ron say a bunch of welts on your back, and we are really..."

"That? That's what this is about?" Draco looked relieved. "Thank god, I thought something else was wrong, like maybe someone found something out they weren't suppose to."

"Draco, you know I would never tell without your permission," Hermione looked at him with a bit of desperation.

"No, you wouldn't, but I know other ways people could find out. About the welts, Lucius and I got into a fight when I was home for vacation."

"_He_ did that to you?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Yeah, but you didn't see what I did back. I broke a rib and cracked two others, I totally screwed up his back, and I almost broke his shin, I should have kicked him harder there. He was so pissed I beat him up worse than he did me he didn't talk to me for the rest of the holiday." he laughed lightly to himself. "It was hilarious!"

Ron, Hermione, and Harry all looked at each other. None of them were sure of what to do, none of them had any doubt in their minds that Draco wasn't capable of or wouldn't fight back as strongly as he said he did, but it was child abuse no matter what way you looked at it.

Dumbledore had said plainly that Lucius wasn't a very good parent, and there was always the question what if Lucius did this again only worse. Draco didn't seem worried about it, or even bothered. It was more like they were siblings than father and son.

Hermione was most worried about Draco getting extremely hurt or even possibly killed, it didn't even seem to register his mind that it would even happen again, much less that if it did it would be worse. Harry and Ron didn't even comprehend that Draco could be killed, they just thought it was freaky that he was so okay with it, but because of that it almost made them okay with it. Both of them figured that if he wasn't worried neither should they, it wasn't their bussiness and if he wasn't terribly hurt there was nothing to be overly concerned with.

Hermione had, at first, thought that Draco was just hiding that he was worried, but as the rest of the meal went on she became aware that he really wasn't nervous about the fight at all. To him it was something that happened that didn't matter anymore because it was over. In fact, she was beginning to suspect that Lucius Malfoy not being a legal guardian to Draco would be a stroke of luck to him. She was almost fully convinced he wouldn't be the slightest bit upset if she went and told Dumbledore right at that moment. All she had to do was ask him and she would find out, and that's just what she intended to do.


	3. Food Fights and Angry Letters

"Would you mind if I told Dumbledore?" Hermione asked before she could come up with her millions of reasons not to.

"Why would he care?"

"Ummm- because child abuse is illegal, and Lucius could get in a whole lot of trouble for you two getting into a physical fight."

"You mean I could get Lucius into shit just because we got into a fight? Now if I had known about this I would have pissed him off like that _years_ ago!" Draco laughed. "Sure, go ahead, talk to Dumbledore about it." he laughed again.

"I got to kick his ass _and_ get him in trouble with the law! Well, I have a whole new perspective of _that_ holiday!"

"Great, then, Ron, let's go talk to Dumbledore!" Hermione started to stand up.

"Why me? What about Harry, or Draco?" Ron asked unhappily, not wanting to be dragged from his lunch hour.

"_Because _you and Draco aren't very good friends and we're trying to make this seem _dramatic_ to make it worry Dumbeldore even more so there's more of a chance of getting Lucius in _trouble_! Honestly Ron, I'm not asking you to swim the English channel in one half of an hour! Now come on!" she yanked him up by the arm and lead him over to the teachers' table.

Hermione put on a very concerned face and started to talk to Dumbledore. Who, soon after she started to talk, also got the exact same look. Ron got this kind of solemn face and they both followed as Dumbledore lead them to his office. They came back out about a half an hour later when the rest of Gryffindor was in Herbology. They walked in and handed a note to the Professor before sitting down by Draco and Harry.

"How'd it go?" Draco whispered to Hermione.

"Great! He got really worried and is going to personally see to it that this matter does not go ignored'."she said excitedly.

"You're kidding! He actually said that?" he stifled a laugh. "Damn, this is going to work out better than I thought it would!"

"You do realize that if something like this ever happens again it's liable that-"

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, unless you would like to continue this conversation in detention I suggest you be quite and listen to my lecture!" Professor Sprout yelled and the rest of the kids snickered.

Draco and Harry had to wait until the end of class to hear in full detail what had happened with Dumbledore. It seemed to go on for hours and hours instead of twenty minutes. Professor Sprout went on and on about St. John's Wart and then gave them a truck load of homework.Mainly tedious work, too, like notes on the entire chapter. When the bell finally rang the four practically sped out of the room. When they were out of ear shot from everybody else Hermione started to describe how everything had happened at Dumbledore's office.

"We went over to the Professor's table and told Dumbledore that we were really worried about you, Draco. He told us we should talk about it in his office, and you know what his office looks like, you three have been there so many times it's amazing you don't live there but, then Ron told him what he saw and all that. Next, I told him what you told us at lunch, well I didn't mention a few things, well- two things. He then told us he would personally see to it that this matter does not go ignored'." Hermione seemed extremely happy with herself for coming up with the idea for the whole thing.

"What were you about to say in class?" Harry asked.

"Oh, it is plausible that somehow Lucius could lose guardianship of you and you wouldn't have to live with him anymore! Isn't that great?" she seemed pleased beyond reason that she was saying that.

"I've died and gone to heaven! He would be _so pissed off_! And I would be so happy! I think I love this school! And people wanted me to be in Slytheirn! I am so glad I listened to that damned hat. Can you believe Professor Sprout gave us so much homework?"

"It's torture! I mean, it's just mean giving us so much work!" Ron started to walk backwards as he spoke.

"I thought Hufflepuff's were suppose to be nice, at least the ones I know are nice, like Hagrid and Justin. Who knows about the other Hufflepuff adults!" Harry looks down at his books in dread.

"It's not that bad, you know! If all get a head start and do it before tomorrow morning, you won't be any kind of trouble."

The rest of the day was quite strange, all of the Professors had substitutes, and during their last class Professor Binns came back. He later informed Draco he was to go to Dumbledore's office. Draco couldn't help letting a smile come across his face, which made Professor Binns furrow his brow. He crossed his eyes at his friends before leaving the classroom for the Headmaster's office. He had been there so many times he knew the password, Blood Pops', and he went right on in.

"Hey Dumbledore!" Draco sat threw himself onto his usual chair across the Headmaster's desk.

"Draco, Mr. Malfoy-"

"Uh-oh, he's breaking out the last names, duck and cover! Okay, go on, seriously."

"Do you know why you're here?"

"Because Ron and Hermione were all weirded out because I got into a fist fight with Lucius, even thought I totally kicked his ass! He is so bad at fighting when he's drunk, it's sad, it really is." he tried not to smile. "But seriously, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"About just that, how bad... well- how bad is your back?" Dumbledore asked uncertainly. Almost like he'd done this before, but no matter how many times he dealt with it, that it would never get easier.

"I dunno, I haven't seen it in awhile, you tell me." he lifted up his robes and the back of his shirt to reveal three large welts on his back that were almost sunken into the skin and no longer appeared red.

"Okay," Draco let his robes and shirt drop and he flopped back onto the chair. "Well, it doesn't look too bad, not as bad as I thought it could be. I am still very concerned, as you can imagine, while I've been Headmaster at Hogwarts we've only had two other cases of child abuse, one of which happened this year also."

"Wait, was it that quite Ravenclaw girl? Damn, what's her name... Jenny, right?" Draco remembered her from classes and he saw her when he hung out with Hermione in the library sometimes.

She always looked at the floor and seemed to have some sort of cut or bruise whenever he saw her. Jenny didn't even seem to have friends among the other Ravenclaws, she actually seemed quite afraid of Draco. Although she was extremely tall and looked to be the strongest in their year.

"Draco, I've told you at least a dozen times this year, watch your mouth!"

"Oops... is it her?"

"Yes, but if you do tell anyone about that I will have to give you a months detention. Understood?" Draco nodded and rolled his eyes, like he was going to go spread a rumor about it. "Why did you think that it was her to begin with?"

"I dunno, I guess she just... fits the normal psychological personality, I guess. So, what do you want to do about the whole thing with Lucius and me getting into that little feud?"

"Report it to the Ministry, and keep a close eye on Lucius, mainly. However, if this happens again we will take you out of his custody. I think that is all for now, we will talk later this year, I am sure. Good day Mr. Malfoy."

"Yeah, good day to you too, Professor." Draco was deep in thought until dinner when his friends finally found time to ask him about Dumbledore.

"What happened?" Hermione seemed to be the most interested.

"He basically told me he would report it and he would be watching Lucius for any suspicious behavior... I think I have an idea. But, you're probably not going to like it, so..."

"Oh God, what are you going to do?" Ron asked.

"First of all, I don't care what you three say, I'm doing this anyway, so don't bother trying to talk me out of it, but if you really want to know," Draco lowered his voice so that only this friends could hear.

"I'm going to purposely get into a fight with Lucius." Hermione's eyes got wide and Harry's jaw dropped. "I know, it sounds insane, but I do have a good reason, Dumbledore said if this ever happened again I would be taken out of Lucius' custody. And it's worth it."

"Are you... sure we can't talk you out of this?" Harry questioned doubtfully, basically knowing the answer already.

"Positive. However, I do have something else up my sleeve, Hermi already knows part of it, I'll tell you two later. But for now we're done with this, we can talk about it after dinner sometime."

Before anyone could get a word in edgewise a massive amount of mashed potatoes came flying over from the Slytheirn table and fell all over one of the twins. Apparently Fred and Gorege had been taunting them for the whole meal and someone in their house decided to get even by starting a food fight. Before long everyone was involved in the fight where everything from pumpkin juice to peppermint hamburgers were being used as weapons of war. Lavender and her friends had made a catapult from assorted silverware and napkins. Meanwhile some of the Ravenclaws had made a sort of bazooka with some magic, cups, and many candle holders that weren't in use. It took a total of twenty some minutes to calm everyone down and get all of the students to stop throwing food. Surprisingly, Dumbledore wasn't the slightest bit upset, in fact, he seemed quite amused by the whole situation.

"Now, if you all weren't so creative with your tools of mass destruction and I couldn't have this cleaned in a matter of seconds with magic, I would be furious. But, you were and I can, so, it's time for bed, hurry along. And no more food fights, at least not this year. Good night!"

Everyone started to leave the Great Hall and head towards bed hen all of a sudden Lucius Malfoy apperated only a few feet away from Dumbledore. Draco quickly ducked into the crowd, but hearing Lucius ask Dumbledore, What the hell was that owl about?' made him weave his way out of the group and into a dark corner to listen.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I believe I explained it thoroughly in the letter I wrote you. But, if you need a more... in depth explanation, now what is it you don't understand about it, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore seemed calm considering the circumstances.

"The whole bloody thing! Who do you think you are threatening the custody and authority I have over my son?" Lucius was now turning red with anger. "He is my son, damn it, and I will discipline him whatever way I choose! It's not your business!"

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore took on a look Draco had never seen in him before, an hostile fire had taken over his facial features. "It is my business! Unlike you, your son is smart and won't do something for any other reason than he pleases to! Which I, as well as most others, greatly admire! Draco is not afraid to be ostracized by his peers, you on the other hand, are a worm!" 

"You can't take the thought of being criticized or having your dominance questioned, and since that's all Draco does, you get angry. And when you get angry you drink, and when you drink you get violent! You didn't _try_ to hurt him as discipline! You did it because you can't stand the thought of him doing something against your will, at all! You are truly pathetic, you try to beat up a child because he makes you angry! If I did that you would have been dead _ages_ ago!" a very shocked silence followed. Dumbledore had never been so visibly fierce before, and to see it was very frightening.

Draco really didn't want to stick around for anymore of the argument he knew would come, so he started to head back to the Gryffindor common room. Not four feet out the door of the Great Hall and Draco ran into a person, he looked up and saw Professor Snape looking down at him.


End file.
